Box Score

SAN FRANCISCO-The Gonzaga University baseball team attempted a comeback in the eighth inning, but the rally fell short as San Francisco escaped with a 5-3 win Sunday afternoon, winning the series two games to one at Benedetti Diamond in San Francisco.

Down 5-2 in the eighth, the first two Bulldogs reached base to bring the tying run to the plate. Left fielder Sam Brown led the frame off with a double, and third baseman Jeff Bohling joined him with a five-pitch walk. In the next at bat, first baseman Taylor Jones reached base with a grounder, but it was in lieu of Bohling who was put out at second. Brown took third on the play, and he came in when Tyler Frost hit a sacrifice fly out to right field. The Zags added another base runner when Justin Jacobs drew a walk, but pinch-hitter Jarod Gonzales grounded out to first base to end the inning.

In the eighth, San Francisco had an opportunity to add to its lead after loading the bases with just one out, but reliever Sam Hellinger drew consecutive ground balls to get out of the inning unscathed. He entered the game with two outs in the sixth inning, pitching 2.1 innings of scoreless ball.

The Bulldogs once again brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth after right fielder Jace VanDeBrake drew a two-out walk. After a pitching change, new Dons hurler Joey Carney got Brown to ground out to second base to end the game.

For the third time in the series, Gonzaga scored first in the game, plating their two runs in the first inning. Brown led the game off with a walk, moved to third base on a grounder and a wild pitch, and then came home on a double from Jones. Two batters later, second baseman Justin Jacobs drove in the senior infielder with a single to center field.

San Francisco got one of those runs back in the bottom of the first inning when Matt Sinatro came around to score on a sacrifice fly, and the Dons scored the rest of their five runs in the fourth, where they plated four on four hits. Brady Bate saw the big hit in the frame, catching the wind on a fly ball to left center for a three-run home run.

Bulldog Bites:

• The bullpen kept Gonzaga in the game Sunday as Hellinger and Hunter Wells combined to pitch 5.1 scoreless innings and hold the deficit at three for much of the game. Wells entered the game with two on and two out in the third and registered a strikeout to get out of the jam. He fanned four on the day. Hellinger, meanwhile, struck out one in addition to getting out of a bases-loaded situation he inherited in the sixth. In all on the weekend, Gonzaga relievers pitched 11.2 innings, posting a 2.31 ERA and allowing just three earned runs. USF's bullpen, meanwhile, posted an 11.81 ERA, allowing seven earned runs in 5.1 innings.
• After coming into the weekend on a 12.2 scoreless-inning streak as a reliever, sophomore Calvin LeBrun got the start for Gonzaga, his second of the year. The southpaw allowed all five runs in 2.2 innings of work.
• Despite the loss, the Zags are still tied for first in the WCC standings. They're even with BYU and Saint Mary's with a 10-5 record, two games clear of a two-way tie for fourth place. Gonzaga lost the series at Saint Mary's two games to one earlier in the year, and they still have yet to play BYU; that series will take place Thursday, April 28-Saturday, April 30 in Provo, Utah.

Next Up:

The Bulldogs (21-12, 10-5 WCC) now return to the Inland Northwest, but they are still on the road for one more game as they take on Washington State in Pullman Tuesday, April 19. First pitch for that local rivalry is set for 5:00 p.m. at Bailey-Brayton Field.